Unlike Partners
by Dedesan
Summary: Katsuki Bakugou and Izuku Midoriya at age seventeen are two of the most promising prodigies of the graduate class of the hero course in UA. But, it order to be certified as heroes, they need to complete a final year project...capture small time villains together. But what if those small time villains turn out to be more than that?Will the two of them manage to work together? (AU)
1. Stay out of my way, you damn nerd

**A/N:** HEY GUYS! Thank you for clicking this! I would just like to say that I have only watched one season of BNA ad haven't read the manga, so this whole setting and plot is entirely au! Thank you and I hope you enjoy your time here ^.^

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"I think this is going to be beneficial for you, young Midoriya" All Might encouraged as he walked along side with the scowling green haired boy.

"How is it going to be beneficial? He is the least cooperative person and he absolutely hates me" The young man complained, his hands inching to be shoved into pockets so they would stop fumbling. But, unfortunately his hero suit came with no pockets (too bad it didn't come with explosion resistance, too)

"I am aware of young Bakugo's attitude, but in real life battle, you will have to form alliance to win against a greater enemy, you should be very well aware of that by now, young man." All Might carried on, his voice solemn, knowing very well about battles like that. "This is your last project in order to graduate UA. But, see it also as a personal goal, you working around someone as unyielding as Bakugo. I expect the best from you, the both of you. You are two of this school's prodigies."

Midoriya regarded All Might's words with silence, brooding as they continued their way towards the front yard. Bakugo was by far one of the most talented students in UA, his quirk and ruthlessness were nothing to sleep on, not to mention his insane combat skills. But, the boy had been tormenting him since he was four years old. Even though, during their studies in UA Kacchan had begun seeing him more of a rival than a pebble on the road to kick aside, he was still unreasonably aggressive with him. Then again, Kacchan always had an explosive personality.

The silhouettes of Aizawa-sama and Kacchan were slowly manifesting as they reached their destination. The more they approached, the more and more unhappy Kacchan looked. His piercing red eyes were glaring straight into Midoriya, as if he wished to explode him into tiny little pieces. Much like him, Kacchan was in full hero suit, grenadier braciers bracing his forearms and his lethal improvised grenades hanging on his belt (not that he needed any of them to blast you to kingdom come).

"Deku" he crudely hissed as Midoriya approached. Even now, at age seventeen, that hateful voice still sent shivers down his spine. But, Midoriya was no longer four. He no longer feared Kacchan.

"Kacchan" he responded, steadily glancing back into the bond's eyes. Kacchan clicked his tongue, irritated.

"Well, let's get this over with" Aizawa started, sighing, his tired eyes turning to the teenage heroes. "In order to finish your final project, you two need to work together to stop this clique of villains that has been plotting right outside town. They have been forming all sorts of small crimes for more than a month. Your job is to destroy their headquarters, capture the leader and bring them back here. You have three days so don't waste time." He impatiently said.

"And in case something goes wrong, we have placed emergency buttons in your bag-packs. If anything happens, press the buttons and help will come." All Might reassuringly added.

"Tsk…as if I will need any help. I will capture this bastard in half a day and drug him all the way here by myself. I don't even need the damn nerd to slow me down" he hissed, side-glancing at Midoriya.

"This is your project, so take it and don't waste anymore of my time, I have other business to attend to, as well" Aizawa remarked in exasperation before taking off.

"Good luck, young heroes. Do your best" All Might gave the teenagers a long, lingering look before he turned on his heel, following suit after Aizawa-sama.

Midoriya watched his teachers walking away. His head was already birthing likely strategies to take, that was of course if he could ever get Kacchan to cooperate with him…

The boy turned to face the blond and was shocked to find him gone. Exasperated, he frantically turned his head right and left and spotted him already walking towards the school's front gate.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya yelled, running to catch up with him. "Wait up!"

Kacchan gave him another lethal glare once Midoriya reached him. "Tsk, idiot" he mouthed.

They both silently walked out of the school. Midoriya's eyes were pinned on the road before him. The blond was going to be a pain to work with. Kacchan was the sort who hated assistance, he was the lone wolf, he wanted to get everything done by himself. He never wanted to share the spotlight with anyone and he honestly believed that he could do a better job if he didn't have to rely on any 'extras' – as he liked to call his unfortunate partners. But, Midoriya had to try, anyway.

"It's not going to be very hard to find them. Of course, they might be just outside of the city but I suspect they won't be too far off, or else it would be too difficult to organise crimes in the city or call for reinforcements if they get cornered. I have done my research and it seems that they mostly attack the northern part, so I suspect their headquarters are there, which would be very convenient since the woods are there and they can easily hide their whereabouts. Of course there's always the possibility of them being underground, which would make perfect sense taking into consideration that…"

"OI, SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU DAMN BASTARD" Kacchan furiously bellowed, balling his hands into fists and grabbing the front of Midoriya's suit. "You are giving me a damn headache, you damn nerd" his red eyes were like two, fiery red orbs as they glared into Midoriya's green widened ones.

He let go of Midoriya with a push, causing the smaller boy to stagger back a couple of steps.

"I don't need you running your mouth pretending to be all smart. The hell with you, I don't need you. You might not be the quirkless good-for nothing pebble anymore, but you aren't going to overpower me. I am not letting you take the glory so just go fanboy over All Might and let me do the job." He pushed Midoriya hard on the chest and turned to walk away. But Midoriya wouldn't stand for it. He was no longer that little kid Kacchan could push around whenever he felt like it.

He gripped his wrist and pulled him back.

"Oi…what the…?" Kacchan angrily started, but Midoriya was quick. He pulled Kacchan back and then pushed him aside, slamming him hard against the wall; his elbow was shoved into his chest, keeping the hot-tempered boy in place.

"This is our last year's project" Midoriya's face was dead serious, his eyebrows knitted down. "Whether you like it or not, you are working with me, Kacchan. We are doing this together. You are going to be a real hero in less than a year's time, so stop acting like a child."

Kacchan struggled and Midoriya loosened his grip allowing the other boy to escape. Kacchaan looked at him as if he couldn't decide whether to blow him up or blow him up to the moon. He let out an irritated grown, his hand jumped into his spiky ash-blond hair.

"Whatever. Just stay out of my way, you damn nerd"


	2. The Hideout

**CHAPTER 2: THE HIDEOUT**

After their little outburst outside UA, neither Kacchan nor Midoriya was keen on starting a conversation. Not that Midoriya particularly minded, it was easier to deal with Personality when he was keeping his mouth shut. He had more space to think things through that way.

It would be a waste of time if they casually started searching the outskirts of the northern part of the city with no idea what they were looking for. It would be like searching for a pin in a stable, and they would get impatient soon (especially Kachaan). The wisest approach, as they had both, miraculously, decided was to take the subway to the northern part and find more clues.

The north end of the city was not nearly as busy as the city centre. On the road that spread before them, only a couple of cars leisurely drove by. The people on the pavements were mostly in their late years. This part of town was well far off the beach, so it wouldn't attract many tourists either. It was quite a boring place to be a villain at. The only places you cold rob were ramen shops and small time stores. How very strange.

"This place is bloody dead" Kacchan complained, his red eyes carpingly scrutinizing his surroundings. "The villains we are after must be touched on the head to act in a place like this. I can't believe they are underestimating me. How dare they have me capture the stupid ones?"

"Well…" Midoriya thoughtfully started, walking forward. "…This is an area well far off a police station and well out of heroes' range, since most of them gather on the city centre where all calamities happen. So they can pretty much do what they want in peace. No one will arrive in time to stop them" he noted. "Have you read the records?"

"Of course, I have" Kacchan replied, offended. "Do you think I am stupid, or something? Tsk…but it's not like they were of much help. None of them have revealed their quirks."

"It's strange, isn't it?"

"Well, if you don't know one's quirk, you don't know how to attack them, right? I say it's the cleverest thing they've done"

Midoriya eyed him in surprise. He was right; the anonymity of their quirks was an advantage on the villains' part. It was good to see Kacchan thinking this through.

"Oi, don't you look at me like that, Deku" Kacchan clenched his fists; he looked at Midoriya as if he knew exactly what he was thinking. "I told you…I am not stupid."

"I never said you were, Kacchan" Midoriya mumbled.

"Don't trick me; it's what you were going to say!"

"Oh? Are you psychic, too?"

Steam started to vaporise from Kacchan's clenched fists "Yes, and I predict that if you continue being a smartass I'll blow you up into tiny little pieces"

Midoriya couldn't help but smile at that. Kacchan never changed. He still had a mouth as foul as old smelly socks. They carried on walking when a poster plastered on a utility pole in the centre of the sidewalk caught his eyes. Midoriya stopped before it and his green eyes landed on the big, fat red letters written across the sheet **'MISSING'**. Below that was a picture of a little girl who couldn't be more than six years old. A telephone number and date of disappearance were also written on the paper. Midoriya frowned; it was weird for children to disappear in this part of town, especially since not many young families lived here.

"Deku" Midoriya felt Kacchan's firm hand on his shoulder; the boy turned him around so he was facing a small store opposite the street. A woman dressed in black jumped out of the shop, carrying two overloaded shopping bags. A mask was covering her face. Midoriya couldn't make out anything else because the woman started sprinting away. On her wake, the shop owner run out of the shop, waving his fists on the air.

"COME BACK, YOU THIEF!" He yelled.

Instincts took over and Midoriya attempted to lunge into a sprint and catch the thief. But, Kacchan's hand was clung to him live vice, preventing him from moving.

"Oi, what's this Kacchan?" Midoriya asked in irritation.

Kacchan glared. "Just shut up and follow me. I recognize her from the records. She is one of the villains we are after, if we follow her, she'll lead us straight to their hideout" he had a wicked smirk on his face as he grabbed Midoriya's arm and started dragging him along.

They diligently followed after the woman, hiding behind poles and walls to make sure they were not seen. They were led out of the city, like the records had predicted. The woman walked up to the hem of the woods where the trees were still young and small. The boys sneaked behind a bush, their eyes never leaving her. She stopped in front of the leaf-covered forest floor, and crouched down.

Midoriya narrowed his eyes; she seemed to be pressing down something with her fingers. Suddenly, the leaves were blown away by an invisible breeze and a round hole opened on the ground. They watched in shock as the woman took hold of her bags and leaped right through the hole.

This was it, their perfect chance, she didn't know she was being followed and they could sneak right into the hideout without making a single sound. On a surge of adrenaline, Midoriya snatched Kacchan's wrist and started running towards the hole. He jumped in, dragging the other boy along just when the hole begun to close.

It was dark, and they were sliding down what seemed to be an abnormally long slide. Finally, they were plunged out of the darkness and Midoriya felt himself falling face first on hard floor. Before he could even managed to move, Kacchan landed straight on top of him, crushing him down once again on the floor.

"Ow" he groaned, Kacchan muttered a curse before pulling himself off of the green-haired boy.

"So, this is it, then?" Kacchan victoriously mouthed.

"Seems, like it". Midoriya struggled up on his feet, his eyes scanning his surroundings. The room was dimly lit, and there was nothing but the hard floor and walls.

"This is almost too easy" Kacchan snapped.

"Is that so?" a female voice coming from somewhere before them, mocked. The boys' head snapped towards the direction of the voice. Kacchan, without hesitation send a burst of explosion, but the woman seemed to have dodged it, responding with a grin.

Midoriya pursed his lips, it would be hard to use One for all, underground, even though he had more control of his ability than in his younger years, but still, it was too risky. Using such a force underground could cause everything to collapse over their heads.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Out of the darkness, stepped the same woman who had robbed the store. She no longer wore the mask and even though the poor lighting, she was quite beautiful with her long, curly black hair and eerily bright blue eyes. An arrogant smile was plastered on her red painted lips as she regarded the boys.

"Well, aren't you two quite handsome?" she turned to Kacchan. "Please, lower that weapon on your arm dear and sit down"

In Midoriya's horror, Kacchan did as he was told.

"Oi, what…Kacchan, what is this?" he turned and glared at the woman. Was this some sort of hypnosis? He was ready to lunge at her when he felt a needle piercing his nape from behind. His eyes widened. His legs stated to dangerously wobble like jelly. The whole room started to spin as he fell down. His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. The last thing he saw before passing out was the woman, beaming at him and the figure of a tall man with a large needle on his hand moving to stand next to her.


	3. The Madman

**A/N: Thank you guys for your support!Special thanks to Aya (thank you for all the sweet reviews ^.^)**

When Midoriya woke, he felt as if someone had smacked him with a pan on the back of his head, multiple times. He groaned, closing his eyes and opening them again, trying to blink away the stinging ache between his eyebrows. He stirred with a low groan, he was placed somewhere soft, it felt too small to be a bed, so a sofa, perhaps. The boy tried to reach and rub his numb nape when he realised that his hands were tightly bonded behind his back. They had been tricked, the woman, whoever she was, had noticed them sneaking behind, there was no other explanation for their ambush. A troubled expression formed on the young man's face. This was on him, had he not been reckless and drugged himself and Kacchan straight thought the villains' lair with no plan to back them up, whatsoever, they wouldn't be in this situation.

"Kacchan" Midoriya's voice echoed in the room. His green eyes scrutinized the simple room. It looked like they had been placed in a resting room; they only thing his eyes could land onto were couches and loveseats, no sharp furniture or objects that could be used in an aggressive way.

"Deku" his response was gravelly and low. Midoriya's head turned towards the direction of his partner's audible struggling. Kacchan was tied as well, his gears and armour removed, and he was sunk deep into a red loveseat, decorated with pink hearts of various sizes. Under other circumstances, it would have been extremely entertaining watching the hot-tempered boy struggling to break free from the clenches of a loveseat. But, this wasn't the time to admire this rare moment of cuteness.

Midoriya shut his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He would use his quirk and get them out of here as soon as possible. Using one for all was a risky option underground, but he was confident that he had mastered enough control to attempt to reduce the power to a small percentage. He attempted to focus one for all on his wrists. He would break free by snapping the ropes in two. No adrenaline rushed into his veins, he didn't feel the heat of the flow of power. What was going on? The boy squeezed his eyes tight and focused, but it felt as if there was a dense, brick wall preventing him from reaching one and for all.

He couldn't use his powers.

"Oi, what is the meaning of this?" Kacchan bellowed in annoyance. "Why can't I blow these ropes off?"

This was bad. This was really bad. They couldn't break free without their quirks, the bonds were too tight and there was nothing nearby that could aid in cutting them.

Before Midoriya had time to think this situation through, the sound of a lock snapping open echoed in the room. The door was opened and on the entrance stood the tall man Midoriya had seen before he had blacked out.

He was young, in his early thirties or late twenties, his attire mostly including a long, white lab coat and thick, dark gloves. His hair was pushed back by goggles. He looked like a mad scientist, the ones you saw on TV. He certainly grinned like one.

"Well, well, well…" his voice was wobbly, as if he had consumed a large quantity of caffeine in a very short amount of time. He started walking towards Midoriya, his heavy boots slamming menacingly on the ground.

"Aren't you an interesting guy, Izuku Midoriya?"

The guy had shoved his face against his, as if he was inspecting an alien species. It made Midoriya extremely uncomfortable; he could see a strange glimpse glazing in the man's grey eyes. It sent shivers down his spine. There was something off about this man.

A gloved hand reached out, grabbing chin and squeezing his cheeks tight. Midoriya snarled as his face was forcefully pushed even closer towards the man's.

"I AM HERE, TOO, YOU DUMBASS!" Kacchan yelled from his loveseat.

The man's face turned, his attention shifting towards the other boy. "Oh, of course, Katsuki Bakugo" a wicked smile formed on his face as if he were staring at a golden nugget. "You were the first to enter UA due to your outstanding talent. You are one of the prodigies of UA, pure combat ability that goes well with your explosion quirk. Aren't you a treasure?"

"How do you know all these, you bastard?" Kacchan asked in a low, threatening voice.

"That doesn't matter. But worry not, Bakugo-kun, I promise you will have all my attention in a couple of hours. For now…" his eyes met Midoriya's once more. This guy was seriously creepy. "…I am more interested in Midoriya-kun, right here. Izuku Midoriya, the quirkless whiny brat who one day happened to inherit the most powerful quirk from the most powerful hero known in the world. Isn't that right, Midoriya?" he squeezed Midoriya's cheeks even tighter.

Midoriya froze still, eyes widening in shock. How did he know all these? No one other than a very trusted handful of people was aware of the fact that Midoriya had been born a quirkless child, and even fewer people knew about the true nature and under what circumstances one for all had been bestowed upon him. Who was this man? Midoriya gazed at him in disbelief. How did he know all these things?

At the green haired-boy's visible confusion, the man menacingly smirked, obviously enjoying the sight of him. There was greed visible on his face, along with something else. Longing? Envy? Midoriya couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The door opened once again, this time surprising even the madman. He finally let go of Midoriya's face and straightened his back. Into the room walked the store thief, the pretty woman they had followed. Her hands were resting on the shoulders of a solemn looking little girl who Midoriya instantly recognized from the missing posters in back in the city. They were the ones who had kidnapped the child. But, why…what could child abduction possibly offer them?

"What is the meaning of this, Serena?" the man snapped.

The woman, Serena, took a hesitant step back. "It's the child, Rin…she's scared. She completely ruined the room again; this is the only other safe room I can get her to"

Midoriya watched in curiosity as a concerned expression appeared on the woman's pretty face.

"She doesn't look good, Rin" she blubbered out with difficulty, as if she was scared of Rin. "I don't know what you've been doing to her, but perhaps it's too much. Look at her, she looks as if she's about to collapse"

Rin's eyes landed on the child's vacant face. He glanced up again, demonstrating minimal concern for the little girl's wellbeing.

"I know what I am doing, so stay out of it" he spat, authority visible in his tone. "Just leave her here, it's not like she can do any harm, anyway" he dismissed them with a careless hand gesture before turning his back to her.

"I see you have a lot of questions" he was talking to Midoriya again. "But, chit chat time is over for now. Midoriya-kun, say goodbye to your friend, you won't be seeing him for a while"

Midoriya didn't have time to react; the strange man snatched a handful of his hair and plunged him off of the sofa. He drugged him on the floor as if he weighted as much as a sack of potatoes. Midoriya snarled, struggling against the man's steel like grip. But, it was pointless; the man kept drugging him, completely unfazed, towards the door.

"Oi! Where do you think you are taking Deku, you psycho-bitch?"

"Catch you later, Bakugo-kun!" The man cheerfully responded before shutting the door behind him, locking Kacchan in.

"It's time to spend some alone time with Izuku Midoriya."


	4. Escape

Bakugou was beyond frustrated. The situation just couldn't have escalated worse than it had. The psycho guy had taken Deku God knows where to do what God knows what to him and Bakugou could not move an inch without sinking deeper into this stupid loveseat. To top it all up, there was that little girl now in the room, too who looked like a small, starved scared animal as she cowered back into the darkness of a corner. Bakugou had fruitlessly attempted making eye contact with her, but she only coiled further back against her corner as a response. What the hell had they done to that child to make her tremble like a leaf? It infuriated him beyond anything else to think of all possible scenarios.

The only bright side to this mess (that Deku had dragged them into) was that he could feel his powers ploddingly flowing through his veins again, if he focused hard enough, steam evaporated from his tied fists. That could only mean one thing. If they didn't want him to damn this place to hell with his explosions, they would come to inject him again with whatever they had had before to block his quirk. It would be his chance to counter attack if he managed to break off from the ropes before that, he would grab the little girl, save Deku and blast the villains to kingdom come.

A mad, somewhat deranged grin split the teenager's face in two. He would be the true hero in this. Ha! Take that Deku.

"Hey, you" he croaked, red eyes fixated upon the cowering child. The little girl visibly tensed, dipped her head further between her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around her fragile build. She looked like a quivering ball of nerves.

Bakugou's hard look softened at the sight. Perhaps, a more gentle approach would be smarter in the child's state.

"Hey…." He tried his best to make his voice as soft and friendly as his usually loud vocal cords allowed him to. Deku always managed to make people and children love him alike. Well, it was no wonder; the damn nerd had a voice like honey and a smile as bright as the sun. Of course children were attracted to that sort of cheesy crap. Maybe, if he tried hard enough, he could imitate Deku's tranquil tone. "…I mean no harm to you. My name is Bakugou Katsuki, I am here to help you."

Finally, the little girl's half face peeked from between her knees. Cautious green eyes, half hidden between tufts of unruly brown hair stared intensely at Bakugou. Her eyes eerily reminded him of Deku's, they were the exact same shade and shape. Deku had always been a doe-eyed bastard.

"Help me?" her voice was frail and wobbly and full of suspicion. "How can you do that when you are tied over there?"

Sassy, smartass little kid. She definitely had a lot of similarities with Deku. It was irritating. Bakugou tried his best for a friendly smile but that didn't seem to reassure the kid.

"Listen, kid, I am hero, I am here to capture the bad guys and rescue you. You know, typical hero stuff. You can actually help me do that if you listen to me" he impatiently stated, voice pressing. He didn't have time for this. As if to confirm that, a piercing scream of pain made the hairs on Bakugou's neck stand. The ground-roof above his head shook and dust sprinkled over his head.

Rage contorted Bakugou's face. That was Deku's scream. Bakugou was going to kill that psycho-bastard.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Fukuhara Akane". the girl mumbled, panic rising in her voice.

"Akane, will you help me or not?"

The girl tensed for a second before standing up and determinedly approaching the Bakugou. She curtly nodded.

"Good, then…untie me"

By the time Akane's frail fingers had managed to untangle the ropes on his wrists, Bakugou felt his full power returning to him. The boy jumped off from the love seat and grabbed the little girl's hand. If he hurried, he'd avoid bumping into the woman and he'd reach Deku in time before the psycho-bastard sliced him into little pieces. He hadn't liked the way that bastard had been looking at the green-haired boy in the slightest.

With the little girl on one hand, he punched the door open, blowing it off its cringes and run fast out of the room.

"Bakugou-kun, I can't catch up" the child complained, her scrawny legs quivering. Without a second to waste, he crouched down. "Get on my back and hold on tight" the child did as she was told and once Bakugou made sure she was secured he sprinted away as fast as he could.

Luckily, the hideout wasn't too complicated, a narrow rocky corridor with scattered doors on each side. It wasn't hard to find the room. He found the right door and kicked it open at the back of the corridor. It was the only one that was left unlocked. Instantly he felt Akane' grip tightening around his neck, the little girl shoving her face into Bakugou's back. So, this was where they brought her and did whatever the hell they did to her.

The first thing his red eyes landed on made his blood run cold. Tied up against the wall was Deku, his wrists and ankles individually cuffed. His bare chest was glistening in sweat and decorated with scars, bruises and burns. There seemed to be no inch of skin on his torso left unharmed. The curly haired boy was seemingly unconscious, head hanging limp on top of his chest.

"Deku" Bakugou mouthed in disbelief. He hurried towards him. The boy looked almost dead, he was so damn pale. He reached out with his hand and lifted his face into sight. Even his face hadn't been spared, there was a large scar running from his right temple right down to the base of his neck, his right eyes was bruised, as if punched and there was dried blood gathered below his nose and lip.

"Deku…say something…" he gripped his chin and shook him, but the boy was as limb as a puppet. "Izuku!" He slapped him across the face and was relieved to see Deku's eyes moving behind his close eyelids. A groan of pain escaped the green haired-boy's lips.

At least, he was alive. Bakugou blew off the cuffs, starting from his ankles and them moving to his wrists, careful not to hurt the boy even more. When the last cuff was destroyed and there was nothing holding Deku up, the boy started falling forwards. But Bakugou had expected it, he stood there and caught him, an arm wrapping against the boy's middle and pressed him against him, making sure he wouldn't fall on his face.

Great, now he had to carry both Deku and the little girl out of there. There was no way he could fight off the villains like that. All he could hope to do was get out of this mole hole. With Deku injured like that, who knew how much more the boy could take? Bakugou could already feel Deku's body trembling in his arms. He didn't know if it was because of the pain or shock.

He turned; ready to leave this creepy room. But, this time, in front of the door, stood the psycho-bastard, Rin. He was smiling as if this was nothing but entertainment for him. It made Bakugou want to blast him away with all his force.

"You bastard…" he hissed, rage visible in his voice. "…what have you done to Deku? I'll fucking kill you"

"Now, now…Bakugou-kun…I haven't tried all of my toys on Midoriya-kun" he calmly replied. "I have only managed to break the bones on his legs and slice him up before he blacked out on me; I have much more fun equipment for him. So, could you please put him down?"

"You sick bitch!" Bakugou yelled, taking a threatening step forward. "I'll tear you to pieces" He balled his free hand into a fist and readied himself for a big blow when he sensed Deku stirring in his arm.

"Ka-Kacchan…" his voice was weak, barely audible. "…Don't…just run…you c-can't win. Just run."

"Bakugou-kun" the little girl's voice was laced with fear, her arms tightening like vice around Bakugou's neck. "P-please get me out of here. I am scared"

Why? Why were they so scared of this man? What could the bastard actually do that made him so dangerous? Bakugou's eyes turned back to Rin, there was a man grin plastered across his face, his eyes widened.

"Well…aren't you going to fight me, Bakugou-kun?" he challenged, tone rowdy with delight and craze.

"FUCK YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH! DIE!" Kacchan bellowed at the top of his lungs! He allowed the sweet heat of his power warm up his palm, he lunged forward, fist pointed towards Rin.

On the second of impact, he lifted his fist up in the air. A sphere of light exploded from his hand, indulging everything into a blinding whiteness, in the speed of light, the force of the explosion launched towards the earthy roof, blowing dirt and rock alike into a hole.

Among the chaos of dust and falling rocks, he secured with an arm around Deku's waist and with his free palm, he gathered all his might and sweat and blasted them off through the hole to the surface.

They had escaped.


	5. To Have and to Lose

It was the second time in one day when Midoriya's eyes flickered open after passing out. This time, thought, he wasn't underground. His green eyes were blinded by the all too familiar white, florescent light of the UA's nurse office. The boy stirred, his limbs felt as heavy as boulders and an intense pain in his temples caused him to grimace. His head was buzzing; it felt as if someone had cut it open and shoved a beehive with raging bees inside. It was nearly impossible to collect his memories.

He turned slowly and saw All Might sitting by his side; he was in his average form, his sunken eyes staring at him in a funny way. He stirred uneasily on his seat when he noticed that the green haired teen had awoken.

"Midoriya, how are you feeling?" he asked, engendering Midoriya's concern. There was an edge in his tone.

"I have a bit of a headache, but otherwise, I have had worse" he cautiously responded. All Might moved on his seat again, shifting his weight from left to right. It was as if pins were preventing him from relaxing. There was definitely something wrong going on. "A-All Might, is everything ok?"

"Recovery girl should see to that headache of yours" All Might stated, avoiding Midoriya's question. Midoriya was ready to protest, but as if right on cue, Recovery Girl entered the room, carrying a glass of water with her.

The petite old lady stood by Midoriya's, opening her palm to reveal a pair of pills in her cracked by age hands. "I figured you would need this. Seeing as you are already exhausted, I don't want to toll your body even more by using my quirk. But these painkillers should do" Expertly, she helped Midoriya swallow down the much needed pain killers. The boy gulped down the water, welcoming the cool sensation in his dry throat.

"Did Kacchan fill you in on what happened?" Midoriya asked.

"Yes, young Bakugou has made sure to give me a detailed report"

"I am sorry, All Might. I…I should have been more careful. I was hasty."

"Don't blame yourself, young man" All Might reassured. "This isn't your fault. If anything, we should have taken far more care in determining the true nature of these villains; we had initially thought they were mere small-timers. But we were wrong, so don't blame yourself for anything that has happened. It is our fault, not yours. I want you to remember than, Midoriya."

Uneasiness settled into his heart, a strange feeling of panic Midoriya bubbled up that the boy couldn't explain. There was something incredibly solemn in All Might's tone and his bad feeling was becoming more prominent. "All Might…did…did something happen?" he repeated, unable to hide the trepidation from his voice

Pushing his chair forward, All Might regarded him with a dreadful look. "Midoriya…there isn't an easy way to say this, but please, try to stay calm. We don't know what that villain did to you exactly, but whatever it is, it has taken One for All from you."

His heart skipped a bit. A stressing weight suddenly crashed upon his chest threatening to suffocate him. This couldn't be. This couldn't possibly mean…

"How is it possible? Can't…can't I just swallow your hair again?"

Regret contorted All Might's thin face. "Unfortunately it's not that simple. He hasn't just taken one for all from you, he blocked it, it doesn't matter how many of my hairs you swallow. Your ability to use any quirk has been blocked. I am hoping this is something temporary but, for now and for the time to come, you won't be able to use one for all"

It felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water on top of his head. Midoriya simply stared at All Might, mouth gaping, expression frozen. He couldn't comprehend this. He simply couldn't accept the fact that three years of intense training had led to this moment, the moment he would be quirkless, useless Deku yet again.

His hands clenched into fists around the white sheets. The boy bit his quivering lip as the situation finally settled. "I am sorry, All Might" he sniffled, tone wobbly as the boy struggled not to be overwhelmed by the tears that had already pooled in the corner of his eyes. "I am sorry" He didn't know what else to say, each word that rolled out of his mouth made his throat feel tighter. The crack in his voice caused All Might to bend forward, resting a hand on the upset boy's leg.

"Young man, you have done nothing wrong" his voice was steady, reassuring, the hand on Midoriya's leg slightly tightening in a gesture of comfort. "Heroes face many obstacles. A true hero will always carry on, no matter what. And you, Midoriya Izuku…" All Might patted his leg. "…You are a true hero, and you will overcome this. I have all the faith in you"

All Might stood up, clearing his throat. "I reckon you need some time alone. Do rest, young man." With one last nod, the blond man turned on his heel, exiting the hospital along with Recovery girl who had been waiting in the corner.

"Izuku, are you alright baby?"

It was a rare sight for Midoriya to walk into his house without a smile and a tight embrace to greet his mother. No matter what sort of trouble he may be facing, no matter what persistent turmoil tormented his young head; he always flashed a smile to his mother. He didn't want her to worry. So, when the boy walked in, eyes sunken and face blank, headed straight towards the stairs it had gotten Inko Midoriya concerned, especially after her baby's curt response:

"Fine, mum. Just tired"

Had Midoriya known that he had left his mother with a troubled expression distorting her round face, he'd have tried to reassure her before locking himself up in his room. But, the boy's face muscles, like every single nerve on his body felt numb. He crashed on his unmade bed, green eyes fixed on the ceiling over his head. His limbs tingled with sporadic spams of pain, but he didn't care much about any physical wound. With slow, pained movements he brought his right hand near his face and stared at it. His studied the delicate cracks on his palm, the inevitable result of countless of push ups. His slender fingers were marked with pale scars on their base, workout and training wounds. Those were scars he had earned with sweat, hard work and many sleepless nights. An endless battle to master a quirk bigger than him, bigger than anything he had ever handled in his life, a quirk that he had now lost.

His lower lip was unconsciously trembling and the boy tried to bite it to a stop. But then the tears started cascading down his cheeks like a waterfall. The tightness torturing his chest had just grown too overwhelming to handle.

Why?

His eyes drifted to the countless posters of All Might, proudly hanged on his walls. The hero he had looked up to for all his life blissfully grinned at him.

Why?

Why him? All his childhood he had wished to be a hero, all his childhood he had wished for a miracle. That miracle had occurred when one for all had been given to him. It had felt as if a missing piece had finally been put into place. Now that it was gone, the boy suddenly felt hollow, incomplete, as if he had lost a limb. People regarded quirks as something taken for granted, like an arm or a leg. But for Midoriya, who stumbled and tumbled his whole quirkless childhood through a path of people with quirks and abilities to match their dreams, it was a blessing and he couldn't believe that he had lost it because of his own carelessness.

Without a quirk, he was nothing.

The mere thought of it was like an iron hand clenching his heart tight, making the boy lift his arm and cover his weeping face with it.

Without one for all he was back to useless Deku. Useless Deku with dreams bigger than him who took notes over heroes he knew he could never match. Without one for all, he was just a plain-looking, useless teenager.

He swallowed back a sob, afraid that the sounds of his distress would reach his mother's ears.

The sound of a knock plunged the boy out of his misery. Midoriya rapidly wiped his cheeks. "I am not really hungry mum, I will stay in and rest a bit more" he said in the calmest voice he could master in his condition. He heeded for his mother's departing steps, knowing that she would respect his wishes. He froze when he heard the door knob turning instead, the corridor's light invading the darkness of his bedroom.

"Deku"

Midoriya's eyes widened. What was Kacchan doing in here?


End file.
